Information on Muqtada Al-Sadr isn’t too prevalent on the web, and there are quite a few disparities in the information that I have found. For example, many sites claim that Sadr was born in 1973 (making him 30 during the events of Baghdad burning), but other sources– such as Time magazine – speculate that he was only in his early twenties in 2003!

But every site agrees that Sadr – despite his youth – is a powerful influence for the anti-American movement in Iraq. Political and religious influence runs through his blood, afterall.

His father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, was the most powerful Shiite clergic in Iraq until he was murdered by Hussein’s goons in 1999. His uncle, a Shiite activist, was also executed under Hussein’s order. Sadr lived a low profile life until the U.S invasion in 2003. He quickly made his views on the war known, and created a militia – the Imam Mehdi Army – to combat American and Iraqi forces.

He has been involved in much bloodshed since, first being wanted for the murder of a rival cleric in 2003, and then sending his militia to fight the US troops in August of 2004.